1) Following the implementation of Phase 1 of the legislative amendments in the Companies (Amendment) Act 2014 in July 2015, ACRA today announced that Phase 2 of the Companies (Amendment) Act 2014 will take effect on 3 Jan 2016. This is in tandem with the launch of ACRA’s newly revamped online business filing and information portal (BizFile) on 3 Jan 2016, 0800 hrs.

BizFile System Migration from 26 Dec 2015 to 2 Jan 2016 (BizFile will undergo system migration and will not be available from 26 Dec 2015 to 2 Jan 2016).

2) In preparation for the launch, ACRA’s current BizFile will undergo system migration and will not be available from 26 Dec 2015 to 2 Jan 2016. The public will be advised to complete all BizFile related transactions before 25 Dec 2015, 2330 hrs. This includes seeking the necessary endorsements from business partners and making payments, if required. Any incomplete transactions may require re-application when the revamped BizFile launches on 3 Jan 2016. A few select BizFile transactions that require a longer system processing time including purchase of business information from the ACRA iShop will not be available from 22 Dec 2015 to 2 Jan 2016. More details on the affected transactions can be found in ACRA website.

Implementation of Legislative Amendments to the Companies (Amendment) Act 2014 and new Business Names Registration Act

3) The commencement notification for Phase 2 legislative amendments to be implemented on 3 Jan 2016, as well as supporting subsidiary legislation, will be published on ACRA website in Dec 2015. The new Business Names Registration Act will also take effect on 3 Jan 2016.

Simplified Regulatory Fee Structure

4) The simplified regulatory fee structure that ACRA had previously announced in Oct 2014 will also take effect on 3 Jan 2016.